Azaleas
by candelight
Summary: A certain someone has been slipping a bemused Leonardo Valentines, much to his brothers' amusement. But who? And why? And what the heck does this pot of red flowers mean, anyhoo?
1. Chapter 1

Azaleas

_愛と。Leonardo._

A certain someone has been slipping a bemused Leonardo Valentines, much to his brothers' amusement. But who? And why? And what the heck does this pot of red flowers mean, anyhoo?

* * *

*Blushes. * Hey, everyone. I hope you're all doing well. ^^ Oddly enough, this isn't a turtle-tot story. Er...ah...I....

....mmmm. *Flushes, laughs.* Ah, well. Just a simple, short and sweet one-shot considering an oddball, and a mystified Leo-san. Heh. In any case, I certainly hope you like it.

I am...not accustomed to writing romance. Tis not of my genre, but I suppose I could give this corny little tale a shot.

Please, take care, everyone.

_Quote:_

_"I love thee with a passion put to use_

_In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith._

_I love thee with a love I seemed to lose_

_With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,_

_Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,_

_I shall but love thee better after death."_

"Gah-!"

The turtle stumbled slightly in midstep, strands of the cerulean mask so oft found on him swaying slightly as Leo cleanly righted himself, dark eyes casting about on the cool tiles of the tin roof where he had landed merely minutes ago when he and his brothers had engaged in a late night run.

Leo's feet had come across a small obstacle in the gloom, and he'd had to stagger back slightly to avoid stepping on it. Now slightly puzzled, the leader peered curiously about himself as his brothers hurriedly gave chase after him, a good distance away from the rooftop he'd silently landed on, looking for the appendage he almost tripped over.

His eyes fell upon a small object.

Oh.

He blinked for a moment. Just a flowerpot. Leo took a small step back, and shrugged it off. He had really ought to be more careful. More then often, he and his brothers needed to mind clotheslines, weather vanes, or flower boxes while out racing about the New York City rooftops. It'd only look suspicious if too many of these things were disturbed or overturned at one time-and, well, Leo had to admit that it seemed strictly rude to him. One time, Mikey had accidentally tripped over a satellite dish on an Apartment building....triggering what Raph had defined as mental anguish for those watching the superbowl underneath the structure's roofing. Luckily, Don had managed to patch the thing up before a bemused maintenance had come up to a perfectly patched-up dish, much to the delight of the fans below.

Anxious to arrive home-as it was, after all, movie night with Splinter, Casey, and April, Leo readied himself to take a running leap to the next rooftop that would lead him to a short series' of jumps that would lead him to the nearby manholes-and then paused. In the small flowerpot-several red blooms were perched in the dark soil, dotted heavily with white, mineral specks. A small tag buried halfway into the earth of the pot told him that the flowers were...

.....well, the name was rather hard to make out with the dirt covering the letters in this gloom-but that hadn't been what had caught the turtle's initial attention. His eyes flickered down to a small patch of white that had caught his attention-and, was buried halfway inside the soil at this point. The top half that was exposed to the elements fluttered slightly in the breeze as a wondering Leo uncertainly turned the small pot around to get a better look at the card. He made out a name in odd, slightly old-fashioned-and disjointed handwriting.

It took only a brief minute or two for him to discern that it had happened once again. Dark orbs narrowed slightly, and the turtle uncertainly bit the inside of his mouth as a small, uncertain bit of warmth rose to his face.

Again?

Leo heard Don and Mikey amiably argue behind him-and a pair of feet drop almost soundlessly down to Earth behind him. He squinted at the name, knelt, and hesitantly tugged the small scrap of paper out from the soil again, hearing Raph give out a partly exasperated, partly curious snort.

"Again, Fearless?"

Leo said nothing as he turned the small card about slightly to catch the light of the glowing firestorm of energy behind him. At last, he could now read the handwriting that was readily becoming familiar-much more so then its owner-and the short, inscribed message they had left on the front:

_To Hamato Leonardo, with much love._

* * *

Baffled, Leo turned the small, now slightly dirty card around-but there was nothing else written upon it. No signature. He shouldn't have been so surprised. There never was one.

Mikey glided down next to his brothers, effortlessly tumbling to slide down a nearby vent, curious eyes transfixed on the sight of his puzzled brothers.

"Hey, bros-what'd you got there? Did Raphy-boy send another pot to kingdom come?"

Raph simply rolled his eyes.

"Be thankful it's not _you_ I'm sending up, dimwad. So, bro-" His attention swiveled again to Leonardo, who remained hesitantly still in the dim light, quietly rereading the message.

"Who da ya think it was?" The baffled turtle fired, as Donatello landed beside the red-clad turtle. He snorted once again.

"Got yourself another note from your admirer, huh?"

Mikey began to snigger, while Don cast Leo an amused smile.

"Again? Do they ever quit?"

Leo's eyes narrowed lightly in annoyance, and a weary huff escaped him, in spite of himself. Raph couldn't suppress a sneer.

"Looks like "they" are gettin' serious, Leo. This is the second time this month someone's sent you a mash note. And you got _flowas._"

Leo frowned.

"They're not mash notes, Raph-and you know fully well that-"

Don just smiled again.

"Oookay. Valentines, then. Greeting cards."

Mikey's face quirked into a grin as he spoke up.

"Someone with seriously too much time on their hands."

The blue-clad turtle just exhaled, though this time, there was a grudging smile on his face as he lightly shook his head and shrugged helplessly. Don cast the small pot a glance.

".....what'd they say, this time? Another haiku? Splinter liked that last one-sounded like it would have been on one of his soap operas."

Leo whirled about to round on Don, now looking rather flustered.

"Hey! You told me that Sensei wasn't going to fi-"

Don raised a hand, gentle smile now on his face.

"Relax, Leo. I promise I didn't. If it's any consolation, I told Master that Raph wrote it."

Leo cracked a small grin while Raph started vehemently-and rounded on his brother.

"WHA? What makes you'd think I'd ever come _close_ to writin' dat type o' girly, sugary crud?!"

Mikey just burst out laughing again.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that, Raph." Mikey's hands teasingly fell on a pouting Raph's shoulders.

"You did a marvelous job of singin' into that hairbrush when you were a kid."

Raph exploded into a growl, and whipped about, teeth grit.

"Hey! That never happened! And YOU PROMISED NEVER TA TELL ANYONE 'BOUT THAT, WISE GUY!"

Mikey let out a startled 'meep!' and chuckle as Raph began to chase him about the rooftop, already eagerly slamming his fists into palms. Don just paused, then slowly shook his head with a sigh as he turned back to his brother once again.

"Are you sure you don't know who keeps leaving these notes?" He queried, eyes finding the small red flowers still perched by Leo's ankle once again.

"Anyone at all? Someone keeps leaving these things where you're bound to find them."

He sounded anxious. Mikey just shrugged as he sprinted past the two, Raph still in hot pursuit.

"Hey, Leo! Think you've got a a stalker on your hands?"

He avoided another one of Raph's uppercuts from flailing fists-and dashed off once again as Leo uncertainly scratched his head with a fingertip, looking almost embarrassed.

"I...don't know. It could be April pulling a practical joke. Or....uh....something."

At this, Don froze, and Mikey abruptly ceased his run-skidding forward a few inches until, with a slight "Ooof!" he crash landed into the ground.

Raph turned to his brother, and shook his head.

"Nah. I seriously doubt it's Ape. She likes a good joke, but dat's...."

He needlessly trailed off. Leo exhaled, and turned the card in his hands around again.

"Well...who would have planted them?"

Don scowled.

"Well....I kind of have a hard time imagining that Bishop or the Purple Dragons would spend too much time confessing affection for you, Leo. No offense."

Leo shrugged.

"Trust me-none taken. Besides, what good what it do-other then....?"

He paused, and shook his head.

"....weird," he commented at last, as if they summed up the situation rather nicely.

Don hesitated, then tugged a small, emerald device from the rope belt still encircling his waist. Pressing a small, orange button on the side, the scientist waved the small mechanism about the pot of flowers-but it remained silent. Don's brow furrowed ever so slightly.

"Well," he commented at last, withdrawing the small, metallic piece, and tucking it back to its original nestling origin. He turned to his brother, and managed a sheepish smile.

"I can't detect any bugs or tracking chips hidden here. Looks like whoever they are, they aren't trying to trace you."

"They do enough of that already," muttered Mikey, who still lay perched on the roof, rubbing at his now slightly sore head. "Ow. Looks like you got an admirer, Leo!"

The turtle flushed, as three voices abruptly erupted into a callous round of "ooooohs!" Raph snickered again.

"Stalker, huh? Someone seems to know you well enough to guess' that you might be around dis joint." He gestured wordlessly at the monopoly of buildings still surrounding the four.

"Kinda spooky. But again-dis person's jus' got a liiiittle too much time on their hands. Honestly, if they think o' Fearless is something special, indeed..."

Leo rolled his eyes, and-after a moment or two, tucked the card into his belt.

"Shut up."

Raph laughed again, and clapped Leo on the shell.

"C'mon. But seriously-ya sure you don't know nobody who'd do that?" His voice had drifted off to curiosity again as Leo picked up the small pot. He thought for a moment or two.

"You know...anyone? Like from the Foot? Karai, maybe?"

Leo only made a short, disgusted noise as he began to step away North again.

"Be serious. And," he admonished firmly, whipping about with a small, disgruntled expression on his face- "I don't want any of you guys tellin' Splinter about this."

Raph snickered as he began to follow along his brothers.

"Yeah. Wouldn't want Master S to find out someone's been sendin' you _mash notes_."

A moment went by as the four silently swept away-albeit with a few giggles and pokes at Leo's expense. She really wished they wouldn't do that. It hardly seemed nice.

The wind brushed past the empty isle, as a pair of brown eyes peered about herself in the darkness from behind the vents. Thankfully, Mikey hadn't sensed her when she'd buried herself within the confines of the dusty metal, while she'd been waiting for.....

A slight blush rose to her face, but the girl just exhaled, and shook it off, brushing a few stray strands of blond hair from a gloved hand.

An absentminded smile began to tug at her features when she glanced at the now empty location where she'd left the flowerpot. Leo had almost stumbled over it. Next time, she'd really have to be more careful. The last thing she wanted was for Leo to hurt himself.

Lauren hummed lightly under her breath as she made her way over to the edge of the building-and sighed, just as she always did, to relieve her head of the spinning that came with vertigo. Luckily, it only took a few minutes to shake off.

The girl sank onto the edge of the building, her boots hanging over the edge of the abandoned office building. Her eyes flickered, and she shivered lightly. She really should have brought a jacket. Ah, well. The warm tingle hadn't quite left her yet-and she was really far too busy pondering the events that had just taken place minutes ago.

He had took them. Thank heavens he had done so. Lauren exhaled with relief, and then plopped onto her back, arms splayed out as she took in the few stars still dotting the clouded sky. It was a shame it got so bright around here-she wouldn't mind peering at a more open sea of stars right about now. It was hard to make any out sometimes-particularly on cloudy nights such as these.

Lauren turned lightly, chin in her hand. For a good few moments, she lay there, her eyes flickering slightly as the breeze continued to wisp about herself, red flush on her face a carriacture of cold and....blush.

Hopefully, she hadn't made Leo upset. Still, she couldn't quite bring herself to be sorry that she had left them there. She'd been uncertain from the start, but Harmony had motivated her-and Leo had taken the small flowers with him, which made her feel marvelously happy-chi. Tomorrow WAS Valentine's Day, after all.

After another minute or two, she sighed-and then stood once again, stretching lightly as she did so. Boy. One did get stiff lying about here....

The adolescent peered down at the roaring city streets with interest before carefully backing away again. Might as well make the most of it while she was still around in the city. There was never much visitation time for this new segment of her life.

The girl paused for a moment or so, squinting at the barrage of lights still hurtling about the highway and Bridge in twos. When one did so, it appeared that the illuminated glows ran into one another when one tipped their head, allowing the twinkle to become more firmly expressed into a light haze, each one intermingling with the other.

For a moment or so, Lauren only looked downward, shook her head slightly, and continued her sprint down the multitude of buildings.

Lauren loved to run, and loved the breathless adrenaline that came along with it. Nonetheless, she was gasping slightly as she at last stooped, and slid down the rusty ladder of the fire escape on the side of_ Michelle's_, nose slightly scrunched up. Rust had a distinctive scent to it-one she really didn't care for at all. It made her feel dizzy.

Grunting lightly, Lauren plopped to the ground, and staggered lightly in the alley, swaying lightly as she leaned on the side of the old brick building for a moment or so until she caught her breath back. Closing her eyes, she stood there for just a moment-then casually circled about the side of the building after checking her watch.

Thankfully, this old place hadn't closed yet......

* * *

_Ding!_

A young girl sitting beside the counter started lightly as the bell over the door gave its short, cheerful ring. Quickly, now feeling puzzled, she put down her book, and turned to the door's direction as it slowly opened.

Curious brown orbs took in the blond girl's entry, and a small grin began to tug at her complexion. The girl casually walked over-past the cash register, past a basket of bows and ribbons, around a small corner of empty vases-and over to where a sheepish Lauren was now making her way over.

The young teenage girl smiled shyly as Lauren gave her a quiet hello. For a moment, neither said anything for a minute. Then, at last, the cashier of the small shop with the _Hi! My name is Harmony_ tag attached to her front at last broke the silence by softly speaking:

"So....any success?"


	2. Chapter 2

Azaleas

The Outskirts of Eden

花はそれらを贈与する手に芳香を残す。

Hallo, everyone. :D I hope you are all well. ^^ Forgive me for taking so long to update...once again. *Sighs.* I promise, I'll keep doing my best to finish all of my old projects before I start any new ones. *Looks determined.*

There's a lot to think about, as of late...college, living arrangements, classes to be coming soon, careers, cars, etc, etc. So I think I'll really enjoy just writing about a snatch of romance for a bit. *Blushes.*

This is completely irrevelant to the fiction itself, but_ Turtles Forever_ is coming out soon! Yay. :D

Well, enough blathering from me. ^^ I really hope you enjoy this silly little story, and cheers for JoyJabbaNoid for graciously allowing me the use of her character. Doomo arigatou, Har-chan!

Please, take care, everyone.

* * *

_Quote:_

_"Some natural tears they dropped, but wiped them soon; / The world was all before them, where to choose / Their place of rest, and Providence their guide: / They hand in hand with wandering steps and slow / Through **Eden** took their solitary way."_

It was so lovely out tonight.

Harmony happily exhaled in the frigid night air, her breath making a small puff in the late evening chill as snowflakes continued to flutter down amongst the two girls still perched underneath the streetlamp by the flower shop's window.

Harmony twisted around in the little quick droplets of silver spinning and fluttering by the lamplight, large green eyes fixated on the New York city skyline. Hmm. Shame that it was so difficult to see too many stars out in the city.

She sighed lightly before chafing her cold hands together to keep herself warm, fervently thankful for her gloves tonight. Brrrr. It had to be a good five degrees below, not taking wind chill factor into account...

The girl glanced incredulously at the blond beside her, whose coat was unbuttoned, and her hat askew. As for her hands, they were shoved into her pockets at the very least, but her light blue scarf was loose about her shoulders, fluttering wildly in the wintry gale. Harmony shook her head incredulously, a small smile on her face as she withdrew deeper into her own scarf tightly wound about her shoulders.

"Lauren...you're going to catch cold if you're not careful."

The girl just smiled absentmindedly as she continued to admire the Valentine's displays Harmony had carefully set up in the shop's windowsills just before she'd closed shop for the night. Each bouquet had been cut with a precise degree in perimeter, and arranged in such a fashion that the rose hues corresponded to one another quite nicely. Ribbons were twirled about their stems into neat, flowing bows.

"Lauren...?"

The blond-haired girl started, then went red.

"Ah? Oh...sorry, Har," she said at last, turning to the brown-haired girl watching her intently with an abashed smile.

"Don't worry about me. Ever hear of an old Japanese proverb? 'Idiots don't catch colds.'"

Harmony just giggled before shyly sinking into her scarf just a bit more.

"I've heard of it, but what does it...?"

The two girls began to walk away from the shop counter with a brisk trot, Lauren still smiling absentmindedly.

"It just means that people too silly or too ignorant for their own good never realize they have a cold when they've got one," she said cheerfully, before peering hopefully at the late-night sky. Was that a star, or a satteli...? No, stars generally didn't have flashing red lights. Darn it.

Harmony just smiled, and shook her head. Lauren had learned that while Harmony had a tremendous lot of interesting things to say, she was often content to be a listener-one of the things Lauren had learned to appreciate most about her.

The two began to walk under a series of street lights, still talking as their feet began to act on automaton to the 'usual place,' as Harmony had chosen to dub it after their fourth visit to the little restaurant. It had a name, but neither of them remembered what it was, and neither quite cared very much, to be frank.

The two passed a Chocolate Emporium's, doors still opened. Harmony laughed as they passed it by, noting the long line of last minute Valentine day shoppers.

"Gosh...so many people who wait for the last minute..." she said tiredly, drawing her red gloved hand past the beauty mark on her chin to the chestnut strands still fluttering in the air. She simply shook her head. "There's been so many last-minute orders from everyone...the phone was ringing its head off today."

Lauren cast Harmony an anxious glance as the brunette found a small, knee-high brick wall, and began to walk across it, arms strewn out to keep balance as she continued to walk alongside the girl still on the ground.

"Was it bad today?"

Harmony shrugged as the two passed a corner, past a few commuters waiting fir the last stop at Central Station.

"Not as bad as I thought it would be. I normally just work with the wrappings and ribbons, because the flowers make me sneeze a little bit, but today, Claudia called in sick, so I had to work a bit of a double-shift when Lydia went home."

Lauren winced in sympathy as Harmony hopped off the small elevation, and resumed walking on the ground.

"Ouch. Gosh, I hope you don't get hay fever..." she trailed off anxiously as Harmony smiled again.

"No. I'm more worried about getting a cold then actual hay fever," she noted, reaching into her pocket for a small tissue before dabbing her nose with it. "It's when Spring comes along, and there's so much cotton and pollen in the air..."

Lauren nodded in sympathy as they paused at a crosswalk, waiting for the green light to turn red.

"I know what you mean. I get a hacking cough and my allergies start acting up around that time." She grinned.

"But once it's over, I think Spring's my favorite time of year."

Harmony cast her a confused glance.

"But yesterday you said Autumn was your favorite. And then you said Winter this morning."

"Guess it varies."

"Hm. Hey, I forgot to tell you, I saw _My Neighbor Totoro_ last night!"

Lauren twisted around so quickly it was really a bit alarming.

"Seriously? Did you like it? I loved it!"

"Of course I loved it, it's a Miyazaki piece, how could I not? It was so adorable! I just wish there was more Totoro-time."

"Don't you, though? He's so sweet...I wish the movie could have been longer. What was your favorite scene? I LOVE the one where Mei falls asleep on Totoro's tummy, and then, when they help grow that huge-"

"-camphor tree? I know, I saw that! I love the little scene where Totoro takes their Dad's umbrella, too!"

For awhile, the two deliberately avoided talking about what had transpired just little over an hour ago, though Harmony threw Lauren a curious glance every now and again. But seeing as Lauren was still talking about the 2011 Miyazaki and Mirage Studios movies, she thought it best to wait.

She glanced at the girl curiously once again, who was still happily discussing Miyazaki's version of The Borrowers, and the quick, ten minute sequel that Miyazaki had made to MNT, which involved Mei and the kitten-bus.

Lauren was fairly tall for her age, at 5'11, and looked a bit peculiar. Her eyes were brown with green specks, in contrast to Harmony's, who had green with very faint traces of brown.

There were birthmarks scattered on her body, particularly on her neck, was rather pale, and had a concourse of brown/blond hair. She was an eccentric sort of person who occasionally enjoyed to talk a great deal. At other times, Lauren preferred to not say much of anything, if she could help it, and trusted others to do the talking.

She didn't seem to enjoy crowds very much. Harmony noticed that Lauren kept her head down, and fell silent around large multitudes of people passing them by, each befit with a large shopping bag at their side.

Her mannerisms were a bit foreign, particularly in the way she swore. Lauren tended to employ a twist of rubbish words and foreign words streamed together to form absolute gibberish when she was particularly upset, and her tastes were a bit...well...

Harmony just grinned while the two waited at another stoplight, watching cars vroom past.

Her romantic interest was an odd sort to like, she supposed, but considering that _she_ happened to like that 'odd sort's brother...'

Lauren turned to face Harmony, looking concerned. "Har, you okay? You went awfully pink just now."

Harmony assured her that it was nothing, though she shyly drew her hat around her head a bit more tightly.

The door rang cheerfully upon their arrival, bell over the door tinkling as it always did. A waitress glanced up near the cafe's counter, and a small, slightly exasperated, slightly amused smile appeared on her face.

"The usual, ladies?"

Harmony gave a soft 'yes,' and a grin while she began to stomp her boots on the rug to rid them of excess snow before walking in. Lauren hastened to do the same, and the waitress lead them to a small table by the windows, the same place they always sat whenever it was available.

Harmony drew her head back and exhaled slightly as she slowly began to pull off her coat, and sank down to her seat, Lauren doing likewise. It smelled heavenly in here-like chestnut and coconut and vanilla and pastry and coffee and...and...

"Too bad Tim couldn't make it tonight," she noted sadly, after the two had cheerfully waved off their waitress. "I guess he and Basil are still busy at their game."

Lauren shrugged off her coat, and draped it around the empty, opposite chair to her before looking around. Good thing this place stayed open so late...though there weren't too many customers left. The little cafe was small, dimly wit, and quiet, but it was warm and pleasant. There was classical music playing a familiar tune in the background, and the old menus were there, just as always. Lauren wasn't quite sure why the two still browsed over them; they got the same thing every time.

She turned back to Harmony with a sad shrug.

"I guess so. How many times has Tim beat Basil by now?"

Harmony flicked open a small, pocket notebook she had at her side, and, after scanning the tick marks, announced, "Forty-three. But it might be better if Basil learned that 'bowling' and 'golf' are too completely different concepts."

Harmony laughed as the waitress brought them their hot chocolate, and they thanked her before she bustled off. Harmony took a careful sip of her own, and, upon not burning her lips, took another sip, savoring the cinnamon and whipped cream as it trickled down.

For a moment, none of them said anything. Then, as Lauren wiped at her whip-cream mustache, Harmony thought it best to ask now.

"...did he...I mean...did Leo get them?" she asked quietly.

Lauren paused, and her eyes flickered. Harmony bit her lip, but a small smile appeared on Lauren's lopsided face.

"...oui," she commented, taking another sip of chocolate before reddening. "I left them on the rooftops while he and the three musketurtles were hopping around. I hope the cold didn't hurt them."

Harmony gave her a gentle smile. "Well...if Leo hurried them back to the Lair, I don't think there'll be too much trouble," she said mildly, listening to Lauren's soft exhalation of relief. "Are you going to do the same, tomorrow?"

The girl hesitated, then nodded. "...yes. Only this time, I'm going to use Snowdrops."

"Like from the little story?"

Lauren nodded gratefully. "Yes. Thank you, thank you so much for letting me borrow that book. I just...I didn't know if roses were the right way to go. I mean, I know that's what you're doing, come tomorrow, but..."

Harmony fidgeted lightly, blushing heavily. Lauren just took another sip of chocolate to avoid bringing up anything to bring her any unnecessary discomfort. Harmony was a shy soul.

The brown haired, green-eyed young woman just grinned abashedly before taking a sip of the water that had come with the chocolate.

"...yes. Red roses stand for...p-passionate love. I thought it'd work, seeing as Raph's such a tough guy..." she trailed off nervously, as Lauren clasped her shoulder uncertainly.

"I'm also going with the Forget-Me-Nots. I think blue and red will look nice."

Lauren blinked.

"Forget-me-nots? You got them at this time of year?"

Harmony nodded happily. "Yep. Tim asked around. No one messes with a florist. Everyone knows real men take care of flowers."

Lauren smiled.

"Forget-me-nots, well...there's your meaning, but...I don't think I got to the story about them, yet..."

Harmony shrugged.

"Well, everyone knows the one with the red rose; supposedly, Venus had to go rescue her love who was trapped in an enchanted garden a long time ago, and accidentally cut her ankle on a white rose's thorn. She bled just a drop on the flower, but, well...legend says that the rose was transformed red, and thus was born the red rose." She grinned while stirring the foam of her drink. "I like the stories better then the scientific theory of pigmentation. They're more interesting."

"Don't let Donny hear you say that."

She grinned.

"Yeah...as for the Forget-me-nots, it just seemed like a good idea. They say that while Adam was busy naming all the animals, God was naming all the flowers that crowded in a grove to hear their names. A little blue flower was afraid that God would forget about it because it was so small, and then it cried out, 'Forget me not, oh Lord!' That's when God turned to the blue flower, and told it that 'and that shalt be thine name.'"

"That's beautiful."

Harmony nodded.

"The other story is that the Christ child was sitting on his mother's lap, and was fretting that future generations wouldn't be able to see Mary's eyes. So he touched both of them, and then touched a small flower on the ground, which turned it blue. I'm not sure why I bother, though, Raph won't know the difference."

"But April will."

Harmony sighed as the waitress cheerfully brought them an appetizer of mashed potatoes. With a word of thanks, the two began to eagerly dig in the steaming white yummy.

"But does he even remember us? I mean..."

Lauren peered down at her plate, feeling a dramatic decline in appetite.

"...I'm not sure if they remember every person they save," she said hesitantly, feeling a knotted coil tighten in her stomach.

"They've...already done the entire world," she said, hoping to sound lighthearted.

"So while Raph might scoff and Leo might be confused, I guess if the intent's still there...then it's just fine. It's enough for me."

Harmony thought for a moment.

"Mikey'll be upset once he hears that he doesn't have a 'fangirl,' she noted, grinning hesitantly. "As for Donny, the poor guy must be attacked by hordes every time he goes topside."

Lauren laughed before taking another bite of potatoes.

"He's such a dear heart. How could any girl not love him?"

Harmony fiddled with her napkin.

"But YOU love Leo."

"And you like Raph? Why?"

Harmony started, as if Lauren had questioned why the sky was blue.

"What isn't there to like? Raph's a total teddy bear underneath the surface, but he's such a grouchy little tough guy, it's cute to see. He's a hero. And he tries so hard, at everything he does." She exhaled, blushing again.

"Why do you like Leo?"

Lauren contemplated her food for a moment rather then ate it. Then-

"I guess...Leo was a sort of 'first step,' for me," she admitted, growing Bob-the-Tomato red by the passing second.

"He was sort of the only male role model I had when I was a child. All the other men in my family are, well..."

She smiled.

"My mother used to tell me that men were like...h-handbags. Expensive to come by a g-good one, and there's so much rubbish in them, you'll rarely find anything good at all unless you seriously look."

She shuffled in her seat.

"Leo's charismatic. He's good. I want to be able to be that kind of good, and have that type of dedication. He's a bushido, cut and straight. He's..."

Lauren shook her head.

"...it's impossible to hate him. I guess he's the antithesis of my own self, so that's why I like him so much. And he is...separated from the group he's in, which makes him there, but NOT there."

How did she explain this?

"He's noble. He's honor. He's sweet. And he's a turtle, which I guess...kind of seals the deal for me, a bit. I don't like human men. The ones around me at school are..."

"Yuck?"

"I guess. My sister says they grow out of it, but I can't do anything to hold onto anyone or anything for very long. There's nothing that I have that can hold onto anything, or give a sense of permanence. People come, and people go."

She glanced up anxiously, fidgeting again. "Is that abnormal? It probably is. I don't even like my own _species_ very much."

"I wish I knew."

The two sat in silence until their meals came along, and the two turned their focus onto that for awhile. But while Harmony had finished swallowing her baguette, she fired another question.

"Why Azaleas?"

"Don't they mean, 'be well for my sake as well as yours?'"

"Yes."

"Oh. Why Snowdrops?"

Lauren had to think about it for a second.

"I liked those two stories I read about them. Do you remember them?"

"I'm not sure I made it to 'S' last night. I don't think so."

"Oh. Well...It's a sort of another 'In the Beginning' Story.' Snow fell every winter, but it was invisible, because it had no hue. So snow went to God and complained of its shapelessness. God thought about it, then told Snow to find a flower that would share its color.

Snow went all over the world, but flowers didn't like the cold Snow accidentally brought into their presence, and finding the cold snow ugly, abhorrent, awkward, and unwanted, they rejected it every time it asked. It became desperate, and pleaded and pleaded with flowers, but none would budge. Finally, a flower went to find the grieving snow, hopped up to it, and offered to share its white color with it. Thus, Snow became white, and the Flowers still go away when Snow comes. But Snowdrops pop out fairly early in Springtime, just when Snow is beginning to melt."

"That's lovely, but are you calling Leo a flower?"

Lauren smiled, threw a hand behind her head, and laughed awkwardly before returning to her soup.

"...yes. I think so. The other story is about a snowdrop that became impatient waiting inside its warm house underneath the Earth, and pushed itself outside to bloom, though it was still early spring, and rain and snow were still around. The flower was picked by a young soldier returning home to marry his fiance, and was stored in a letter with promises that Spring was on the way. Snowdrop was unhappy at being locked away from the sun, but then it decided to look on the bright side of things, and reminded itself that it was now a symbol of better things to come."

Whew. Okay. Lauren's disappearing next chapter, and the spotlight will be on Harmony. Take care everyone, aye? ^^


	3. Chapter 3

Azaleas

Scarborough Fair

花はそれらを贈与する手に芳香を残す。

Salutations, everyone. :D Lost all of my work for a co-op story *Hides head in a sack*, but I promise to be more careful! As of right now, I think I need a break from that particular story,

'Scarborough Fair' is an old, slightly haunting English ballad that I enjoy listening to, and very much recommend. It's about a lover asking the listener, should they be going to Scarborough Fair, to remember them to the 'one who lives there,' for they were once a 'true love of mine.' Then, the loer starts to ask the listener to tell the lover to do a series of impossible tasks (Such as washing a shirt in a dry well, or finding a small acre of land to have a nice garden in the middle of the sea) to earn the pretense of becoming a true love of theirs. The ballad wraps up with the lover asking the listener to tell the one at Scarborough Fair that while these tasks seem impossible, should they still be passionate enough for the other to try what seems hopeless, should they still try regardless for someone else's behalf, their love hasn't been lost. ^^

Please, take care, everyone.

* * *

_Quote:_

_"Are you goin' to __Scarborough__ Fair? Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme-_  
_Remember me to one who lives there, she once was a true love of mine._

_Tell her to make me a cambric shirt (On the side of a hill in the deep forest green)._  
_Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (Tracing a sparrow on snow-crested ground)._  
_Without no seams nor needlework (Blankets and bedclothes the child of the mountain)._  
_Then she'll be a true love of mine (Sleeps unaware of the clarion call)._

_Tell her to find me an acre of land (On the side of a hill, a sprinkling of leaves)._  
_Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (Washes the grave with silvery tears)._  
_Between salt water and the sea strands (A soldier cleans and polishes a gun)._  
_Then she'll be a true love of mine."

* * *

_

"That's an odd song, Lauren."

"Mmmm?"

Anxiously shifting to one foot to the other, Harmony's emerald eyes fixed on Lauren's brown, her expression slightly confused.

"The one you're singing. Why does he keep asking someone to do these things?"

Lauren simply shrugged, and more tightly wound her scarf around her neck as the wind continued to flutter at the girls' cloaks. Even though Lauren in no way minded the cold, at this elevation, so high up...

Swallowing lightly, she backtracked away from the edge of the building, closer to where Harmony was bent over a small flowerpot, struggling to tie a ribbon quite correctly around a small pot as the arctic-like winds, so biting at such a proximity, continued to cause the ribbon ends to flap and flutter about wildly as the girl at last tied the ribbons into a neat, pristine butterfly bow before bending over the small pot of blue blooms, carefully draping an edge of her white cloak over it to protect the blue flowers from being blown away completely.

As Lauren made her way back towards Harmony, shivering slightly, she too held a small parcel in her hands, only the small buds were white, not blue. Sneezing lightly, she winced as she bent to her knees onto the building's frigid metallic roofing tiles, and placed her own pot down, though the ribbon securing the fluttering card was much less elegant and a great deal more lopsided then Harmony's.

Harmony stood, body still slightly doubled over from the cold, as if she felt ill. She swallowed as she stared down the firestorm of lights bursting about the city below them, cars looking like little more then Nascar toys vrooming about the road as matchstick-sized people bustled about to complete business so that they could scurry out of the cold.

"Um...Lauren?" she asked at last, breaking the girls' mutual silence. "I can see my house from here."

"Really? That's nice."

Harmony felt her stomach flutter just a little bit as she realized that the only difference between the two plummeting into empty space and staying...well...preferably breathing, was a few inches of cement and several feet of foundation. The ground beneath her feeling rather hollow, she inched backwards, swallowing.

"...the only problem is," she noted, large green eyes flickering back to Earth once again, in spite of herself, "Is that I can also see my imminent death from right here, too." She shuddered as another gust of wind made her white cloak flutter alarmingly about her, and she shuffled backwards, feeling a little alarmed. Harmony was not one who suffered from severe vertigo, but she was unused at being so many stories up to say the least, and it was getting a little disconcerting. How did the boys stand this as much as they did?

Lauren glanced at Harmony, who was now gripping at a pipe with gloved hands, before covering the two pots with a green cloth, the inscriptions laid out neatly, in plain sight.

"Just keep your distance from the edge. I get all fluttery there, too," she commented, before slowly inching away from the two pots. "So, what time is it?"

Harmony glanced at her watch, her face, slightly pink from the cold, paling suddenly.

"Half past. It's almost..."

Swallowing, and trying to hide a smile, Lauren frantically beckoned to Harmony, who scurried to the girl's hiding spot beneath the old ventilation shaft. Shame it wasn't working.

For a moment, none of them spoke from where they sat, the distant sounds of the city below fluttering over them. Their breath came out in slight puffs, and Harmony shuddered, still rubbing her hands together.

"I hope they come soon."

Lauren murmured an affirmative before reaching for a silver thermos she had left behind the machinery just as the two slightly breathless girls had arrived, wincing lightly as she grasped the hot metal, savoring the warmth sinking into her fingers.

"Cider? I brought cups."

"T-t-that sounds g-good."

As Lauren poured the two of them a generous quantity of the near-boiling liquid, Harmony glanced beside the two at a neighboring building across the street, decked out in several elaborate flags and with Valentine hearts plastered in some of the windows.

"That hotel over there...it's the Plaza, right?"

Lauren nodded, smiling lightly as she passed Harmony a mug.

"Careful, now...it's hot...there. Oui," she said cheerfully, twisting her head around to further observe the elegant building to their left, each crystalline-clear window sparkling, with many of them pooling over with light.

"It's a five-star hotel that's been around since the early...fifties, I think." Lauren's brow furrowed as she attempted to remember.

"Fifties, I think that's about right. I read about it in _Eloise._" Lauren smiled, looking slightly abashed as the girl took a cautious sip of the hot cider, accidentally burning her lip slightly.

"It has over 102 suites, and it's designed to have Victorian elegance and modern...well...everything, I guess. I've never been inside, but one of my teachers went there for a one-night stay. She claimed it was heaven on Earth...though it cost her a good grand."

Harmony started.

"One grand for one night?"

Lauren nodded, frowning slightly.

"Aye. They just finished a $450 million series of innovations, so...it costs a pretty penny." Lauren sighed as the hot cider slipped down her throat. Wriggling with a small smile at the warmth that began to tingle at her toes and fingertips, she sank down into a lying position, eyes on the dark cobalt skyline. Well, it wasn't snowing tonight-that was something.

Harmony cast a curious look at The Plaza before turning back to her cup, and helping herself to another sip. "Gosh. Was Eloise taking a trip to the Plaza?"

Lauren shook her head, smiling incredulously.

"No. Eloise lived there with her turtle Skipperdee, her dog Weenie, and her nanny, Nanny."

"Nanny Nanny?"

"Nanny was never given a name in the series. Just 'Nanny.'"

"What about her Mom and Dad?"

"They never mention her Father. But her Mother is always away in Paris or in Germany or something. Eloise just lives by herself in The Plaza, and pretty much spends her days making chaos for the hotel staff." In spite of herself, Lauren laughed.

"Eloise gets away with murder, and, well, whatever her mother's job is, it must offer a fair amount, seeing as how they go off to places like Moscow or Paris on a regular basis, and Eloise has a private tutor named Phillip. She's always driving him insane, though. Still," Lauren noted, hugging her knees together as the wind continued to roar about the city rooftops.

"I don't think it's possible to dislike her character. She's just a feisty little princess who likes to make life fun for herself, and everyone around her."

Harmony smiled.

"Doesn't every girl dream of being a princess, once?"

Lauren just laughed.

"You probably could get away with it. Me, well...I'm not an elegant person. I'd crack and kick off my heels to run about the halls, singing 'Tantantara.' But yes. I think it's what little girls primarily_ do_. Imagine a situation where everything's picture perfect-with pretty dresses and pink rooms you never have to clean. Candy for dinner. Any toy you could want." Lauren's face shifted to an unhappy one. "I don't think I'd really wa..."

"It sounds terrible."

Lauren turned to face Harmony. It was in times like these that she was reminded just how insightful her friend was.

Harmony frowned as she considered growing up a pampered, single child. Eloise's life sounded like a great deal of fun, considering the fact that the six year old had endless access to the world, but it serrated somewhat hollowly.

Lauren had spoken about Eloise before. The girl only spoke to her mother on the phone when she was sick, on Tuesdays, or on holidays. In the books, she never came to visit her own child. And while Nanny was at Eloise's mercy, while the girl had two loyal pets-

...it sounded like an awfully lonely existence, the same way Peter Pan's life with the Lost Boys looked like such fun at first. They never had to grow up, they could fly with Tink's aid, and they spent their days antagonizing Hook's crew or the Natives of Neverland.

...but what good was having it all when that was all you knew about in life? It was in loss that one knew what gain actually was. Maybe that was why the turtles knew how to live as they did. Considering how any-

...

...

Her mind drew a solid blank. And her breathing constricted sharply as she numbly realized, through the veil surrounding her subconscious, that there was the sudden and most unwelcome feeling of cold steel pushing slightly against her neck.

For a moment, Lauren simply sat there on the edge, noting the deathly silence. Slowly, she turned around, heart hammering.

But the position where her friend had been sitting just seconds ago was now empty.

~(*)~

* * *

Wow. This may prove tricky...*Exhales.* Whew.

No, Harmony has not fallen off the roof! Good heavens, I could never do that to the poor dear...hope to see you next chapter!


	4. Flowers of Goodwill

Azaleas

Flower of Goodwill

多くの愛、LaurenおよびHar-chanを使って

*...listens to awkward silence, sighs.*

Everyone, I implore you to forgive me for taking so long to begin writing again. D: As of late, I've been stumbling about randomly in my life, trying to recover the urge to contact the muses. And, for quite a period of time...it just didn't come, and I couldn't have forgiven myself for writing something half-heartedly.

But now, I'm dusting the cobwebs (Pardon me, spiders!) away from my head, and I'm hoping to give writing a shot once again, this time, using everything I've got.

*Rolls up sleeves.*

I hope you all like this chapter, folks! It was...certainly an interesting one for me to muse over...*Laughs.*

Please, take care, everyone.

* * *

Quote:

_"Tell her to reap it in a sickle of leather (War bellows, blazing in scarlet battalions)._  
_Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (Generals order their soldiers to kill)._  
_And gather it all in a bunch of heather (And to fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten)._  
_...then she'll be a true love of mine."_

Snow still fell sweetly in the air, fluttering and sparkling in the many lampposts from below before settling softly in the snow-covered bounds just beginning to formulate on the city street corners. Lauren's brown eyes flickered to the flakes incomprehensively, heart stilling in her throat for a second.

Through her mind, still made numb with terror, she dumbly noticed the pennants still fluttering at the Plaza just across the street; the tiny, matchbox cars still zooming about the world below, blissfully unaware of the two girls over three stories high in the air right above them...

One with a gloved hand squeezing painfully at their shoulder, and the tip of something cold, hard, and sharp at their throat.

Lauren swallowed as her eyes slowly flickered around, feeling extremely hot all of a sudden. Hot blood raced underneath her skin as her heart continued to frantically beat; her pulse just as bad.

And then, her eyes met the leering, masked pair of a Foot Ninja's.

Her pulse slowly died down as her heart stopped beating for a microsecond.

And all she felt on the frigid rooftop was the chill cutting into bones once more.

* * *

The ninja tugged Lauren roughly to her feet, just as her hand flew towards the Foot Ninja's left-the one still clutching the sword. Bad idea. Faster then a grasshopper, the man (She could hardly tell, either way) flicked his left appendage back, and then, simply settled for seizing her right arm, and twisting. Electric-white sparks of pain shot up her wrist, and stars flashed into her vision when her assailant aimed a kick for her ribs. Luckily, the blow only glanced off her side; which stung, but Lauren knew from one too many stumbles up and down the steps that a blow to the ribs was generally much, much worse.

Immediately, the man seized Lauren in a headlock, and the girl quit struggling, her breath now coming in ragged pants once again, making little puffs in the frosty air. She could faintly feel his breath on her arm, now slightly numb with cold by this point. Biting her lip, Lauren readied herself to scream, when a gloved hand plastered itself across her mouth. Still wriggling, Lauren attempted to bite it, but no such luck. Stupid leather gloves.

The ribbons of his dark mask still fluttering against the dark city skyline, the ninja bent his head over slightly-just enough so that his lips inched above the girl's ear.

"_Not a word,_ you little brat," he hissed, fingertips winding over her aching wrist once again. Lauren made to strike him across the face; but he only arrested her hand again, and squeezed it.

Hard.

Lauren grit her teeth, and, closing her eyes tightly, let her arm remain limp instead of thrashing once again. When the man at last removed his hand, she swayed lightly, right arm now burning...and tingling, oddly enough. Her forearm was absolutely numb.

Now terrified, Lauren stood absolutely still, face stark white.

A minute went by. A torn garbage bag lightly flittered in the air below them, wind sending it spiraling any which way it pleased.

Then, another.

And, another.

It was unbearable. Lauren's eyes immediately flew to her watch, feeling bewildered.

_Aren't these weirdos supposed to take your wallet, toss you to the ground, and-?_

Mouth dry, she glanced at the ground below the enormous building, and now, the girl felt ready to heave.

Did this cretin mean to-

Suddenly, the world began violently rocking, and colors rushed in and out of her eyes. Swallowing back the hot sting of bile, Lauren desperately attempted to take a step back towards the door. But no such luck. The man still had her in a headlock, and he tightened his hold warningly. The girl went limp again, her brown eyes scanning the building top.

Where was Harmony?

What had happened to h-

Suddenly, the girl's mind went blank once again. Her eyes at last accosted the second figure she'd been too stupid to make out in the dark.

Then, she found another one.

And, to her horror, another one.

All identical to the black clad man, all bearing a weird, scarlet crest, and all surrounding her, and a struggling figure Lauren knew very well.

Two of the dark men, yellow eyes of their masks glowing eerily in the darkness, were clutching a struggling Harmony. The other stood watching the display, arms crossed lazily over his chest. In any other circumstance, Lauren would have shot at a seething glower at the man-and, perhaps, try to spit at him-but fright rippled over her body once again as she finally realized _where Harmony was now standing_.

The brown-haired girl had a hand over her mouth, and was kicking frantically at one of her attackers. Her hood had been thrown back, and now, brond stands were fluttering wildly in the wind once more. Green eyes were enormous, and her face, Lauren realized, had just recently had all the blood drained from it.

One of the men simply seized her foot, and, upon giving her a leer, made to twist at the appendage. Harmony winced, and, upon realizing that the man was deathly serious upon twisting it until the bone snapped in two, stopped struggling.

Lauren could have cried in relief.

The two men had seized Harmony, and dragged her away from the other girl's side before she could make a sound. She had to hand it to these creeps; they knew how to work fast.

But now what? Her eyes flickered over to Harmony's. Enormous green eyes, distraught, panicked, and bewildered-met hers in term.

If this wasn't a robbery, then what was it, exactly? Lauren's wallet was still in her hoodie pocket, and Harmony's purse still swung sadly from her shoulder. But none of the men had made any seize for any of their belongings.

Harmony at last found her voice, gasping slightly. One of the men impatiently went to cover her mouth once again, but Harmony twisted her head the other way, panting.

"P-Please. Just..."

The girl motioned feebly at her purse, before casting an imploring look at one of the ninja still clutching her.

"J-just take it! Just t-take them, and let us go!"

Lauren "accidentally" trod on her captor's foot, and was rewarded with a short slap. Beginning to wriggle again, Lauren gestured frantically at her pocket.

"My wallet's-ergh-_in there_!" she cried, not liking how the ninja's deadeyed stare met hers.

"Let us down f-from here, and we'll just...just go!" she finished somewhat lamely, Harmony nodding frantically in agreement.

Silence. The trash bag flew towards a series of broken wires, and, upon tangling itself inside, feebly began to flutter with the wind still roaring at it.

Then, much to their dismay, one of the ninjas began _laughing_.

Then another.

And another.

And another.

One bent down to stare at Harmony, and the girl could practically _hear_ the smile the filthy man was giving her, even in the darkness.

"Oh, oh no, dear poppet. I believe you're...under a slight..._misunderstanding_," he said, as slowly and as carefully as if he were talking to a two year old child.

But the gentility was marred by the thick mockingness smeared onto each and every word. Harmony could faintly hear it dripping, and her stomach rolled in fear and disgust.

She gave him such a cold look that it made _Lauren_ flinch. Warm green eyes turned to ice, though panic still glittered in the orbs, and it was a moment before the girl could speak again, her mouth extremely dry.

"Then what are you doi...?"

The man still surveying the spectacle cast his comrades a slightly concerned look.

"They'll be here, soon. You do realize this...?"

One of the men still clutching Harmony spat onto the ground.

"Bah. Of course I do, you little fool. Once they see we have these two-" Here, he nudged playfully at Harmony's shoulder, who recoiled-"I don't believe even the idiotic orange one will be stupid enough to attack."

But the first did not seem to be appeased.

"And if they DO confront us? Regardless of...?"

The other man simply shrugged once again, and, casually reached for his belt, and, to the girls' horror, withdrew a small dagger.

"Then we let the brats' blood run out, and they'll take care of the clean-up."

Harmony's insides turned to ice as the man sent her yet another mocking, playful expression.

"Won't you like that, little _tori_?" he sneered, and this time, Harmony could see that beyond the yellow eyes upon his mask, a pair of ink-black ones were glittering with barely suppressed merriment.

"That, or we could always...well..."

He shrugged helplessly, and, wrenching Harmony around, wheeled her around to face the edge of the rooftop. Lauren screamed, and Harmony faintly thought she heard another slapping sound.

A hand threw itself over her mouth again, and now petrified, Harmony began to fight once again. But another smack resounded in the air, and Harmony winced as a hand nearly struck a blow across her face.

The man began to speak again.

"In any case, we only need one of them," he said dismissively, tugging Harmony back from the edge of the building. "Two, well...if we need to go a great distance..."

Lauren was now biting her lip so hard it was bleeding. The ninja clutching her simply nodded.

"Shall I dispose of this one, then?"

"Do as you will."

Puzzled, Lauren glanced up-

...moments before the ninja made to shove her off the building top.

(~*~)

Eyes wild, and, with a shout of alarm, Harmony kicked at her captor with more strength then she'd ever administered in her life, which forced her second assailant to stagger back for a second-just a second-but a second was all she really needed. The man still clutching her froze, and, upon instinct, flung Harmony from him.

Which, unfortunately, sent the poor girl stumbling backwards in a desperate attempt to regain her balance-

Just before the ninja could snatch her back, one of Harmony's feet met a patch of ice, and the other, empty space.

She slipped; and, just so, the two girls tumbled off the roof, Harmony's bouquet still clutched in her hand.

* * *

It appears I still know how to be evil...*Flinches.*

Hope to see you soon, everybody!


	5. Chapter 5

Well.

This was very, very not good.

As she hurtled through the icy gusts, gravity making her drop like a grand piano through the sky, Harmony's green eyes watered, mouth dry, mind blank as her small figure raced towards the concrete below. She couldn't see Lauren-maybe she'd already-

Harmony didn't even want to think about that image. More tears spilled out as she rocked another three stories down, wind whistling sharply as she shot down past an old series of windows.

So this was how it would end. Terrified, and nearly sobbing from the injustice of it all, Harmony squeezed her eyes tightly shut, scream lost in her throat.

Would it hurt very much to die? It wasn't something she pondered regularly; and, looking back, perhaps it was better that way. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that, regardless whether or not she landed somewhere soft, she didn't stand a spare quarter's chance in Las Vegas. Even if the building towered over water, at this distance, it wasn't going to make a difference.

The snow still fell softly from the sky, completely oblivious to Harmony's tumble towards imminent doom. Though it did seem to fall much slower then before; some flakes so much so that they seemed to be hovering quietly in midair. But the terrified girl's thoughts weren't so much on sightseeing.

_'I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Please! Not NOW! Not before I even-'_

She never finished that sentence. Harmony let out a sharp gasp as stars exploded before her eyes, as though someone were violently attempting Heimlich on her. This, she assumed, was her final impact; but it hurt much, much less then she thought it would. Maybe she died a quicker end then she thought she would have.

But her feet continued to soar through empty space; her hair was still fluttering wildly. Oddly enough, Harmony felt as though she were flying instead of falling.

Was this dying? Her body was still numb; though she could faintly tell something warm was tightly wound around her stomach. It would not let go; even when breathing became a little harder.

Harmony opened her eyes, mind swimming in a haze, vision unfocused and bleary.

She was zooming straight up above a gigantic city of lights; millions of tiny lanterns swelling up to enormous proportions.

The city was rapidly becoming tiny again as she looped around the mountainous building; matchbox like cars swarming below as her feet uselessly kicked in midair-

And, heartbeat accelerating faster then ever, she could see a nearby building top becoming larger and larger and larger and larger, until-

This time, Harmony really did scream; but she soon simply covered her eyes, whole body suddenly electrified; awaiting the solid concrete straight ahead-

That did not come.

With a resounding THUD that made stars flash in front of her eyes again, Harmony gasped, green orbs streaming as she tumbled from the warm band that had been clutching her waist….

Exactly two feet above blessed, solid ground.

Rolling slightly, heartbeat still pounding a mile a minute, Harmony continued gasping; not able to comprehend that she was still alive, let alone where she alones.

Still, her eyes trailed upward at the dark figure whose back was now turned to her, carefully stringing something around a muscled bicep. Was it a rope?

Skin now extremely pale, Harmony continued panting, even as her eyes trailed to the ribbons now fluttering like pennants in the breeze from a crimson mask wrapped around a green head.

_…..a green head. _

She slowly scooted backwards. Her heartbeat picked up another new round, her eyes slowly scanned downwards. A tough, weathered, almost pattered, oval-shaped pack.

Or simply an oversized shell.

The figure reached the end of the old rope he'd been carrying, only for Harmony to realize that it wasn't a rope at all-but a grappling hook. The turtle carefully tucked the instrument back inside of the belt he had casually bound around his waist, seemingly in no hurry to turn around.

A truck roared faintly from below, but its incessant honks were meaningless; inconsequential. Gulls sharply scolded one another from overhead; that too, was ignored.

Silence. Snow still fell. But at last, her savior broke the silence, still seemingly quite interested in the traffic below.

"Well? Ya gonna start with the screamin,' or da runnin'? Cause honestly, if it's da second, you're kinda outta luck, cause da-kid? Kid, are you…."

Hamato Raphael trailed off, or maybe he continued talking. Harmony didn't know. The world was still trembling violently. Or maybe that was her. From cold, from nerves, she didn't know.

Suddenly, two warm hands were at her shoulders. The young woman's eyes vaguely flickered up to the two dark ones staring very intently at her.

"Uh, look, uh….sorry if I squeezed ya too hard. You….are ya gonna be okay?"

Breathing was getting harder. And the fact that she nearly died was kind of catching up to her, too.

"Miss? You don't….look dat well."

Raphael didn't normally use the word 'Miss.' Huh. Harmony wondered what was wrong NOW. The turtle shook her, eyes starting to widen.

"Hey, say somethin', will ya? You're kinda getting…..uh-oh…"

His hand traced out the outline of her heart. He shook her again.

"Look, jus' calm down. I'm not hear to hurt ya, honest-"

She heard footsteps. The world kept swaying violently, and Harmony bit back the bile rising behind her throat, longing to be sick. She could just make out Raphael whipping his head around, frustration carved into his features.

"Hey, Cheesebrain! Fearless! Brainiac! Da kid needs help! NOW!"

He slowly turned his head around, biting his lip. Warily, he removed a strand of dark brown hair from the poor girl's face, surprised when she didn't flinch away.

"You're gonna be okay….."

That was the last thing Harmony heard before she blacked out.

It was still dark when she slowly began to come to. A few stars were twinkling overhead; and for a confused moment, Harmony faintly wondered if she'd simply nodded off while on the roof, and had had a nightmare. A horrible, horrible nightmare…that had ended very, very nicely.

But something was wrong.

There was a soft hand clasping her wrist, and the sound of someone quietly counting under their breath. Harmony's head was lying on something soft, and there was another warm hand placed over her forehead.

Was she still dreaming?

"Yo, Donny, think I should get dis kid to a hospital? She don't look too good."

Whoever who'd been counting stopped.

"Raph, she fell off a building, only to be rescued from someone who looks like they belong at a Star Trek convention. What do you expect? The poor girl probably just needs to lie down for a bit."

"But I can…y'know, at least carry her dere, or somethin'. I mean," said Raphael quickly, hurriedly beginning to fumble with his words.

"Y'know, Master Splinta wouldn't have wanted us to leave da kid alone on da rooftops."

An amused voice piped up.

"You sound like Leo, now, Raphie boy. Sure it's not just because you happen to…ah….I dunno, have a thing for brunettes?"

Raph growled. And then, said a bad word.

And then another.

And another, as Mikey started chuckling.

"Gotta go now, Raphie boy. Leo could probably use some help with those ninja creeps. Shame they always have ta invite friends over."

Harmony could now faintly make out three fuzzy outlines, two of them now standing, one still bending over her.

"Yeah, it's been awhile since we split up. Listen, Raph, you stay here with her." Donatello's voice became amused towards the end, and Harmony could hear Mikey snickering.

"Hey! Wait a minute! I-"

But silence greeted him. Mumbling what sounded like threats under his voice again, he glanced back down with what almost looked like a pout on his face. Harmony could have giggled.

He started back when he saw she was watching him; which Harmony sensed Raph thought was a mistake. He immediately cooled, and immediately his face became exaggeratedly indifferent. The girl had to hide a smile with her hand as she slowly tried sitting up.

But Raph raised a hand, being careful not to touch Harmony's shoulder. The last thing he needed was for the teen to start shrieking her head off or to start a game of tag on the rooftops.

"Hey, ya shouldn't sit up yet. Believe it or not, I'm not gonna hurt ya. Though," he added, with a small snort, "I might not say the same for my knucklehead bros."

Perhaps it was from the hysteria that had not quite evaporated; maybe it was from the senselessness of what couldn't possibly be happening-but Harmony smiled all the same. Raph had not been expecting that. He gave her a strange look, but said nothing.

The breeze slowly flew at Harmony's hair; the turtle's eyes slowly trailed off, expression awkward.

"Ya ain't screamin,'" he commented, looking up at her again after a moment's pause. "Dat's a first."

Harmony couldn't help but smile again.

"I can start, if you want me too."

He snorted.

"I'll do without dat pleasure, thanks. Once is enough. When I saw da Foot shove you and dat girl off that building, I kinda thought ya were pavement pi-"

Harmony's eyes widened, and she immediately sat up. Raphael's hands immediately flew to her shoulders, and then off again, as though he'd been burned.

"Whoa, whoa! Listen, those ninjerks are probably history by now. Mikey may be an idiot, but he knows how ta use his head. Ta break stuff," he added, somewhat sourly. "Point of da matter is, they can't hurt ya now-"

"Where's Lauren?"

He gave her a bewildered look.

"Who what where now?"

Not a very comforting sign.

"The girl with-with the blond hair. Brown neck. Where is she? You got her too, right, Raphael?"

Raph still stared at her. Something akin to suspicion flashed in his eyes when she said his name, but he still looked baffled. Then, his eyes slowly widened.

"Oh. Yeah. Dat girl."

Harmony's breathing began picking up again.

"You got her, right?" she repeated, praying the now uncomfortable look on Raph's face would vanish. "She's okay-and she's on….another rooftop, now, right?"

Silence. Raphael was still staring at her. He cleared his throat, and glanced away.


End file.
